Nick Punto is in tonight’s lineup against the Rangers, and he’s going to be in a lot of lineups next year, too, if his manager has his way. Despite Punto’s disastrous .205 season at the plate, Ron Gardenhire all but handed Punto the second base job on the 2008 Twins.
Punto is the best fielder on the team, Gardenhire said, and while he agrees that Punto doesn’t hit well enough to play third, traditionally a power position, he definitely wants Punto on the field. It’s probably safe to assume that Alexi Casilla’s two-month tryout with the Twins has convinced Gardenhire that the rookie needs another season in Rochester.
For his part, Punto said he plans to work harder this winter than ever before, to make sure there’s no repeat of this horrible season at the plate. And he seemed awfully thankful for Gardenhire’s unwavering support.
One other note: Left-hander Kason Gabbard has been scratched from Wednesday’s start for the Rangers. Vicente Padilla, who ignited a brawl with the A’s on Sunday, will fill that slot.
Tonight’s lineups:
RANGERS
Catalanotto dh
Murphy cf
Young ss
Byrd rf
Botts lf
Wilkerson 1b
Quiroz c
Vazquez 2b
Metcalf 3b
Volquez p
TWINS
Bartlett ss
Kubel dh
Mauer c
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
Jones lf
Buscher 3b
Punto 2b
Slowey p
Monday, September 17, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Good Enough to Win
It was interesting to listen to Ron Gardenhire after Monday’s 4-2 win. He was OK with Boof Bonser’s performance -- five innings, two runs, in and out of trouble every inning -- but not really satisfied. He liked that Alexi Casilla cut down his swing, as instructed, and hit the ball on the ground in his first at-bat, collecting a base hit. But he wasn’t particularly happy that Casilla’s swing got longer as the night went on, and he popped the ball up in his next two left-handed at-bats.
Both outings were acceptable, mostly because the Twins won the game, 4-2. You got the feeling that his patience might not be so abundant if things had gone poorly.
Glen Perkins was activated before Tuesday’s game, as expected. He says he’s fine and looks forward to facing a few left-handed hitters. Gardenhire sounds a little reluctant to put him in Dennys Reyes’ old role as a one- or two-batter specialist, seeing him as a two- or three-inning guy. But I wonder if that opinion will change when Jim Thome or David Ortiz comes to the plate in the eighth inning some night.
Luis Rodriguez is in the lineup, not because of any particular matchup problem for Brian Buscher -- though Gardenhire said Rodriguez (and Jason Tyner, playing instead of Garrett Jones) might be better able to handle Kyle Davies’ cut fastball -- but just because he intends to play everybody in September.
Tonight’s lineups:
TWINS
Bartlett ss
Kubel dh
Mauer c
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
Tyner lf
Rodriguez 3b
Casilla 2b
Baker p
ROYALS
DeJesus cf
Grudzielanek 2b
Teahen rf
Sweeney dh
Gordon 3b
Butler 1b
Gathright lf
LaRue c
Pena ss
Davies p
Both outings were acceptable, mostly because the Twins won the game, 4-2. You got the feeling that his patience might not be so abundant if things had gone poorly.
Glen Perkins was activated before Tuesday’s game, as expected. He says he’s fine and looks forward to facing a few left-handed hitters. Gardenhire sounds a little reluctant to put him in Dennys Reyes’ old role as a one- or two-batter specialist, seeing him as a two- or three-inning guy. But I wonder if that opinion will change when Jim Thome or David Ortiz comes to the plate in the eighth inning some night.
Luis Rodriguez is in the lineup, not because of any particular matchup problem for Brian Buscher -- though Gardenhire said Rodriguez (and Jason Tyner, playing instead of Garrett Jones) might be better able to handle Kyle Davies’ cut fastball -- but just because he intends to play everybody in September.
Tonight’s lineups:
TWINS
Bartlett ss
Kubel dh
Mauer c
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
Tyner lf
Rodriguez 3b
Casilla 2b
Baker p
ROYALS
DeJesus cf
Grudzielanek 2b
Teahen rf
Sweeney dh
Gordon 3b
Butler 1b
Gathright lf
LaRue c
Pena ss
Davies p
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Twins add catcher Morales to the roster
The Twins selected the contract of catcher Jose Morales from Class AAA Rochester today to help out Chris Heintz behind the plate while Joe Mauer (hamstring) and Mike Redmond (finger) recover from injuries.
In 108 games for the Red Wings this season, Morales batted .311 with 25 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 37 runs batted in. He played on the International League team in the Class AAA All-Star Game this July and was also named the catcher on the IL Postseason All-Star Team.
The Twins chose Morales, a converted infielder, in the third round of the 2001 draft. He will join the team in time for Friday's game at Chicago.
In 108 games for the Red Wings this season, Morales batted .311 with 25 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 37 runs batted in. He played on the International League team in the Class AAA All-Star Game this July and was also named the catcher on the IL Postseason All-Star Team.
The Twins chose Morales, a converted infielder, in the third round of the 2001 draft. He will join the team in time for Friday's game at Chicago.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Another Rochester Call-Up
Stan Cliburn pitched batting practice for the Twins on Tuesday, and seemed as excited as one of his players about being in the majors. It’s been a long time since he’s been in the majors, he said -- his catching career with the Angels began and ended in 1980. In fact, he had never set foot on the Metrodome field, though he did hit a home run in Metropolitan Stadium as a player.
Cliburn, the manager of the Twins’ Triple-A team in Rochester, said it’s an honor to be invited to spend September with the parent team. He’s also thrilled to see so many of his players up here -- he said he has managed at least 21 of the current Twins at some point.
One of the highlights, he said: The day when Terry Ryan called a team meeting to deliver the news that Tommy Watkins was being sent up to Minnesota. Cliburn couldn’t stop smiling as he told the story of that day.
Watkins, incidentally, is headed to Fort Myers when the Twins leave town, in order to rehab the abdominal muscle he injured last week. Ron Gardenhire said the Twins would like to get Watkins back on the field before the season ends.
Another of Cliburn’s players, IL Pitcher of the Year Kevin Slowey, makes his first start since July 5 for the Twins tonight. The lineups:
INDIANS
Sizemore cf
Cabrera 2b
Hafner dh
Martinez c
Garko 1b
Peralta ss
Lofton lf
Gutierrez rf
Blake 3b
Laffey p
TWINS
Casilla 2b
Bartlett ss
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
White lf
Kubel dh
Heintz c
Rodriguez 3b
Slowey p
Cliburn, the manager of the Twins’ Triple-A team in Rochester, said it’s an honor to be invited to spend September with the parent team. He’s also thrilled to see so many of his players up here -- he said he has managed at least 21 of the current Twins at some point.
One of the highlights, he said: The day when Terry Ryan called a team meeting to deliver the news that Tommy Watkins was being sent up to Minnesota. Cliburn couldn’t stop smiling as he told the story of that day.
Watkins, incidentally, is headed to Fort Myers when the Twins leave town, in order to rehab the abdominal muscle he injured last week. Ron Gardenhire said the Twins would like to get Watkins back on the field before the season ends.
Another of Cliburn’s players, IL Pitcher of the Year Kevin Slowey, makes his first start since July 5 for the Twins tonight. The lineups:
INDIANS
Sizemore cf
Cabrera 2b
Hafner dh
Martinez c
Garko 1b
Peralta ss
Lofton lf
Gutierrez rf
Blake 3b
Laffey p
TWINS
Casilla 2b
Bartlett ss
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
White lf
Kubel dh
Heintz c
Rodriguez 3b
Slowey p
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Dome Days Ahead
The Twins took batting practice on Wednesday, but that’s their last chance for awhile. They play day games for four straight days when they return home. Players don’t generally like arriving in the morning hours for batting practice, but that’s not the only problem this weekend.
The Vikings play an NFL game Thursday night, and the Gophers open their football season Saturday night, with three baseball games in between. That means the Metrodome stadium crew will be busy switching the field back and forth from football to baseball and vice versa. Painting (and removing) all the lines is a big job, and the pitcher’s mound must be rebuilt to major-league specifications each time. So the baseball field might not be ready in time for practice.
The Twins -- who will play three games in roughly 25 hours Friday and Saturday -- plan to limit their work to indoor cages, which isn’t the same, but it’s the best they can hope for until Tuesday. Just one of the disadvantages to sharing a stadium -- something that ends in two more years.
For now, “it’s a good thing we play on the turf,” Michael Cuddyer pointed out. “Can you imagine how torn up the field would get with two football games and three baseball games in three days?”
Tonight’s lineups for Santana vs. Sabathia (a terrific matchup that will be repeated in the Metrodome on Monday afternoon:)
TWINS
Casilla 2b
Bartlett ss
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
White dh
Redmond c
Tyner lf
Punto 3b
Santana p
INDIANS
Sizemore cf
Cabrera ss
Hafner dh
Martinez c
Garko 1b
Gutierrez rf
Lofton lf
Gomez 2b
Blake 3b
Sabathia p
The Vikings play an NFL game Thursday night, and the Gophers open their football season Saturday night, with three baseball games in between. That means the Metrodome stadium crew will be busy switching the field back and forth from football to baseball and vice versa. Painting (and removing) all the lines is a big job, and the pitcher’s mound must be rebuilt to major-league specifications each time. So the baseball field might not be ready in time for practice.
The Twins -- who will play three games in roughly 25 hours Friday and Saturday -- plan to limit their work to indoor cages, which isn’t the same, but it’s the best they can hope for until Tuesday. Just one of the disadvantages to sharing a stadium -- something that ends in two more years.
For now, “it’s a good thing we play on the turf,” Michael Cuddyer pointed out. “Can you imagine how torn up the field would get with two football games and three baseball games in three days?”
Tonight’s lineups for Santana vs. Sabathia (a terrific matchup that will be repeated in the Metrodome on Monday afternoon:)
TWINS
Casilla 2b
Bartlett ss
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
White dh
Redmond c
Tyner lf
Punto 3b
Santana p
INDIANS
Sizemore cf
Cabrera ss
Hafner dh
Martinez c
Garko 1b
Gutierrez rf
Lofton lf
Gomez 2b
Blake 3b
Sabathia p
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Relievers Need Relief
The Twins need a lot from Boof Bonser tonight. Not just another performance like the one he supplied last weekend in Baltimore, when he broke his 12-start winless streak, and not just a critical pennant-race victory.
They also need a little relief. From the starter.
The bullpen is stretched thin, Ron Gardenhire made clear before Tuesday’s game. Too many short starts, a situation made worse by Carlos Silva’s 3 2/3 outing on Monday. Scott Baker lasted six innings on Sunday, and Matt Garza only five innings on Saturday.
That’s why Carmen Cali and Juan Rincon have worked two of the past three nights, and Julio DePaula has pitched in three straight.
“If we have to go out there early, I’m not sure what we’ll do,” Gardenhire said. “We need some help from the starter.”
Nick Punto is at second base tonight, mostly because of his .375 lifetime average (in just 16 at-bats, of course) against Jake Westbrook. Brian Buscher returns to third base, with Alexi Casilla getting the night off.
Tonight’s lineups:
TWINS
Tyner lf
Bartlett ss
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
Kubel dh
Redmond c
Buscher 3b
Punto 2b
Bonser p
INDIANS
Sizemore cf
Cabrera 2b
Hafner dh
Martinez c
Garko 1b
Peralta ss
Lofton lf
Nixon rf
Blake 3b
Westbrook p
They also need a little relief. From the starter.
The bullpen is stretched thin, Ron Gardenhire made clear before Tuesday’s game. Too many short starts, a situation made worse by Carlos Silva’s 3 2/3 outing on Monday. Scott Baker lasted six innings on Sunday, and Matt Garza only five innings on Saturday.
That’s why Carmen Cali and Juan Rincon have worked two of the past three nights, and Julio DePaula has pitched in three straight.
“If we have to go out there early, I’m not sure what we’ll do,” Gardenhire said. “We need some help from the starter.”
Nick Punto is at second base tonight, mostly because of his .375 lifetime average (in just 16 at-bats, of course) against Jake Westbrook. Brian Buscher returns to third base, with Alexi Casilla getting the night off.
Tonight’s lineups:
TWINS
Tyner lf
Bartlett ss
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
Kubel dh
Redmond c
Buscher 3b
Punto 2b
Bonser p
INDIANS
Sizemore cf
Cabrera 2b
Hafner dh
Martinez c
Garko 1b
Peralta ss
Lofton lf
Nixon rf
Blake 3b
Westbrook p
Monday, August 27, 2007
Catcher Still Can't
No Joe Mauer again tonight, and probably not for a few days, at least. Ron Gardenhire said Mauer was not significantly improved -- in fact, he said, “Right now, he’s Kirk Gibson waiting to pinch hit.” Yeah, Gibson homered in that ’88 Series, but that’s not a very happy comparison, considering what a difficult time Gibson had walking back then. Remember, that Game 1 homer was Gibson’s only at-bat in the entire series.
Mauer did some exercises, and worked out in the swimming pool that he got plenty of use out of when the Twins were here in May.
Gardenhire is still trying to find out whether Scott Baker, who is home in Louisiana with his wife after the birth of their second son, expects to be back by Wednesday to do his normal between-starts workout. If not, his next start probably will be pushed back to Saturday and a Triple-A pitcher, presumably Kevin Slowey, will start one end of Friday’s doubleheader with Kansas City. If Baker makes it to Cleveland, he and Matt Garza could pitch in the doubleheader, and no call-up would be needed.
Tonight’s game wasn’t on the Indians’ original schedule; it was supposed to be played Thursday, but was moved back so Cleveland and Seattle can fit in one of their makeup games from the season-opening snowstorm. But because they didn’t start selling tickets for this game till mid-season, the crowd appears to be tiny. It’s a half-hour to first pitch, and there can’t be more than 2,000 people in the park.
Tonight’s lineups:
TWINS
Casilla 2b
Bartlett ss
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
Kubel dh
Redmond c
Tyner lf
Punto 3b
Silva p
INDIANS
Sizemore cf
Cabrera 2b
Hafner dh
Martinez 1b
Peralta ss
Blake 3b
Lofton lf
Gutierrez rf
Shoppach c
Byrd p
Mauer did some exercises, and worked out in the swimming pool that he got plenty of use out of when the Twins were here in May.
Gardenhire is still trying to find out whether Scott Baker, who is home in Louisiana with his wife after the birth of their second son, expects to be back by Wednesday to do his normal between-starts workout. If not, his next start probably will be pushed back to Saturday and a Triple-A pitcher, presumably Kevin Slowey, will start one end of Friday’s doubleheader with Kansas City. If Baker makes it to Cleveland, he and Matt Garza could pitch in the doubleheader, and no call-up would be needed.
Tonight’s game wasn’t on the Indians’ original schedule; it was supposed to be played Thursday, but was moved back so Cleveland and Seattle can fit in one of their makeup games from the season-opening snowstorm. But because they didn’t start selling tickets for this game till mid-season, the crowd appears to be tiny. It’s a half-hour to first pitch, and there can’t be more than 2,000 people in the park.
Tonight’s lineups:
TWINS
Casilla 2b
Bartlett ss
Hunter cf
Morneau 1b
Cuddyer rf
Kubel dh
Redmond c
Tyner lf
Punto 3b
Silva p
INDIANS
Sizemore cf
Cabrera 2b
Hafner dh
Martinez 1b
Peralta ss
Blake 3b
Lofton lf
Gutierrez rf
Shoppach c
Byrd p
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